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Brazil opened their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign in style with an impressive 2-0 win over Serbia. Selecao No. 9 Richarlison rose to the big occasion with two second-half strikes at the Lusail Stadium on Thursday, 24 November. If the Tottenham Hotspur forward's first World Cup goal was a simple tap-in. However, his second goal, an overhead scissors kick, was a thing of beauty.
The first half started with A Selecao on the front foot from the get-go. Casemiro gave a defense-splitting wonder pass to Neymar in the 10th minute, but the latter could not get his shot off. Raphinha had a golden chance in the 36th minute to put A Selecao ahead after a neat one-two with Lucas Paqueta. However, the winger's shot was too weak to trouble goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
A mistake by the tall 'keeper just before half-time almost gifted Vinicius Jr. an avenue to score his country's first, however, his immediate presence of mind saved him the blushes. Both teams went into the break with a 0-0 scoreline.
The second half was a complete contrast to the first as the Brazilians really got in the mood. Two minutes into the half, Raphinha was once again in the thick of the action after a Serbian mistake, but could not convert yet again. Vinicius created havoc on the left flank and set up Neymar in the 56th minute, only for the latter to sky the shot. A rare Serbian attack saw Dusan Tadic's cross cleared for a corner, which did not culminate into anything.
Out of the blue, left-back Alex Sandro sent a thunderous shot from 30 yards, only to hit the post in the 61st minute. A Selecao finally opened their account in the 63rd minute when Neymar's drive into the box created a shot opportunity for Vinicius. He took it cleanly only for the goalkeeper to parry it into Richarlison's path, who struck home from close range.
Richarlison scored again 11 minutes later and how! After the ball came into the box, the striker took one touch to bring the ball above him and followed it up with a fantastic bicycle kick. What followed were waves of Brazilian attacks, with Casemiro hitting the post and substitutes Rodrygo, Antony and Gabriel Martinelli all keeping the tempo up for the Brazilians. The only blemish on this excellent night was the injury suffered by superstar Neymar, who was taken off 10 minutes before the game.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup winners go top of the World Cup table G with a superior goal difference against Switzerland, who beat Cameroon 1-0 earlier on the same day. That said, let's look at five hits and flops from Brazil's 2-0 victory against Serbia.
Hit - Vinicius Jr (Brazil)
Vinicius Jr. was running the show through the left wing for the South American giants. He completed four key passes throughout the game, including an assist for the second goal.
Serbian defenders found it difficult to deal with some of the dribbles of the young Brazilian forward. Although he failed to take a glorious chance in the first half, his overall impact on the game was crucial to A Selecao's success on their opening day.
Flop - Nemanja Gudelj (Serbia)
Nemanja Gudelj was completely steamrolled by opposition in the second half. The duo of Gudelj and Sasa Lukic were unable to deal with the pace and directness of the Brazilian forwards containing Neymar, Vinicius Jr., Paqueta, and Raphinha.
Their midfield was often bypassed easily as they struggled for pace, with Gudelj losing possession in key areas of the pitch. He went into the referee's book for a foul on Neymar after losing the ball in his own half. Raphinha also pinched the ball off Gudelj before goalkeeper Milinkovic-Savic rushed down to cover up the mistake committed by the midfielder. He will be hoping for a much-improved performance in the next game.
Hit - Alex Sandro (Brazil)
Alex Sandro was chosen over Alex Telles in the playing XI by Tite. He somewhat repaid the manager's faith by linking up well with Vinicius Jr. to build attacks from the backline. He was also constantly galloping up and down the field to help his defenders and attackers.
The Juventus defender, who was unlucky enough to hit the crossbar, completed more than 90% of his passes. He did not allow enough freedom to Serbia's creative fulcrum Dusan Tadic to be adventurous on the ball by closing him down quickly.
Flop - Sasa Lukic (Serbia)
Sasa Lukic struggled to keep up with the pace of the Brazilian forwards. The Serb's battle with Raphinha was long lost as the Brazilian easily ran through the left channel for fun. He also struggled to deal with Paqueta, who operated in advanced positions with other forwards.
Lukic gave away cheap possession in crucial areas of the pitch and did not look resolute with the ball in the second half. He won just one tackle throughout the game and failed to make any interceptions.
Hit - Richarlison (Brazil)
Richarlison's first World Cup game will forever be etched in his memory. The forward was anonymous in the first half as he rarely got into scoring positions. However, he turned it around by scoring a brace in the second half.
He was in the right place at the right time for the opening goal. The Spurs forward brought his individual brilliance for the second goal with an audacious scissor kick to help A Selecao secure their first victory of the 2022 World Cup campaign. His selection over Gabriel Jesus was justified.
